Breakdown of Leviticus 18:17

"You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity." — This verse goes beyond just forbidding marrying your stepdaughter; it highlights that even a stepdaughter, connected through marriage, is considered "her," meaning part of the wife's flesh. Therefore…

Leviticus 18:17 Meaning Explained

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Leviticus 18:17

You shall not uncover the nakedness of a woman and of her daughter, and you shall not take her son’s daughter or her daughter’s daughter to uncover her nakedness; they are relatives; it is depravity.

English Standard Version (ESV)

This verse goes beyond just forbidding marrying your stepdaughter; it highlights that even a stepdaughter, connected through marriage, is considered "her," meaning part of the wife's flesh. Therefore, this prohibition extends to your wife's granddaughters too, emphasizing that spiritual closeness through one flesh creates familial bonds that God protects.

What Leviticus 18:17 means

This passage continues God's detailed instructions to Israel about sexual purity, building on the prohibitions against forbidden sexual relations from the previous verses. It specifically addresses marrying a woman and then her daughter, or a woman and then her granddaughter, emphasizing the closeness of these relationships through marriage as creating an unbridgeable familial bond. These prohibitions aim to prevent the breakdown of family structures and maintain a holy standard among God's people.

The "One Flesh" Principle Extended

This verse dives into complex family relationships. How does marriage create a new 'family unit' that impacts who you can't marry?

The prohibition here isn't just about blood relatives; it's about the sacred bond of marriage.

Affinity is Like Consanguinity: When a man marries a woman, they become 'one flesh.' This union extends a spiritual and relational closeness not only to her direct descendants but also to those who are very near to her. The law considers the relationship created by marriage (affinity) to be as significant as blood relationships (consanguinity).
Protecting the Family Unit: This means a man couldn't marry his stepdaughter. Even more deeply, he couldn't marry his wife's granddaughters (his step-granddaughters). These relationships, though removed by a generation or two, are still considered too closely bound to the 'one flesh' union of his marriage. It's about respecting the integrity of the family ties created by marriage.

What "Depravity" Really Means Here

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What Leviticus 18:17 means

Ask Sola about this verse

Ask Sola things like:

“What does "depravity" mean in the original Hebrew?”
“Why did Traditionally Moses, though authorship is debated by scholars. write Leviticus 18:17?”
“How does preserving family purity show up in Leviticus 18:17?”

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Live chat about Leviticus 18:17 is available in the Sola app.

What Leviticus 18:17 means

The "One Flesh" Principle Extended

What "Depravity" Really Means Here

Ask Sola about this verse

What Leviticus 18:17 means

The "One Flesh" Principle Extended

What "Depravity" Really Means Here

Ask Sola about this verse

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